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Clinical Trial Summary

This study hopes to evaluate the effectiveness of early combined use of Sildenafil and nitric oxide (iNO) in newborns with Persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) and or hypoxemic respiratory failure and assess whether this would improve oxygenation, improve time on mechanical ventilation for these babies and also prevent rebound hypoxic episodes.


Clinical Trial Description

PPHN is characterized by hyper reactivity of the muscle layer in pulmonary arterioles and right to left shunt across the ductus arteriosus and the foramen ovale in the absence of structural heart defects. It could also include right ventricle dysfunction in many cases. The reported incidence of this disease is 0.43 to 6.8/1000 live new born infants with a mortality of 10-20%.

The main objective of therapy in PPHN is to reduce pulmonary vascular resistance. To this purpose, inhaled nitric oxide has been used in developed and several under developed countries. However 30-40% of these patients do not respond to this therapy. Extra corporeal membrane oxygenation is also useful but is an invasive therapy in PPHN with serious adverse effects reported. Recently Sildenafil has been evaluated as an alternative or adjunctive pulmonary vasodilator. It inhibits phosphodiesterase type 5 and elevates the concentration of cyclic guanosine monophosphate in the muscle cells of pulmonary vessels, which in turn decreases pulmonary vascular resistance.

The FDA in the USA has recently approved the use of Sildenafil for use in adults with PPHN.

Recently 3 clinical trials have evaluated Sildenafil versus Placebo or control in newborns with PPHN,all of them showing a significant improvement in oxygenation index, decreased mortality and reduced risk of rebounds after discontinuing iNO. The use of Sildenafil in treating PPHN secondary to Chronic lung disease in older infants had been receiving significant attention over the last few years.

At HMC, Women's hospital, the number of deliveries average 15,000 to 16,000 per year with an admission rate to the NICU of about 10%. The number of PPHN cases admitted to our NICU ranges between 14-20 cases per year.

In this study the investigators plan to compare the effectiveness of the use of early combined Sildenafil and iNO in newborns with PPHN and or hypoxemic respiratory failure and whether it would improve oxygenation, decrease the time spent in mechanical ventilation and prevent rebound hypoxic episodes. ;


Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Safety Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Double Blind (Subject, Caregiver, Investigator), Primary Purpose: Treatment


Related Conditions & MeSH terms


NCT number NCT01558466
Study type Interventional
Source Hamad Medical Corporation
Contact Husam Em Salama, MRCP
Phone 00974- 55262159
Email hsalama1@hmc.org.qa
Status Recruiting
Phase Phase 3
Start date November 2011
Completion date June 2015

See also
  Status Clinical Trial Phase
Completed NCT00371241 - Antibody Secreting Cell and Cyotokine Profiles in Neonates on ECMO
Terminated NCT00005776 - Inhaled Nitric Oxide Study for Respiratory Failure in Newborns Phase 3
Completed NCT01203423 - Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn (PPHN) Observational Study
Withdrawn NCT01891500 - Early iNO for Oxidative Stress, Vascular Tone and Inflammation in Babies With Hypoxic Respiratory Failure Phase 4
Completed NCT00005323 - Epidemiology of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn - SCOR in Lung Biology and Diseases in Infants and Children N/A
Terminated NCT00005773 - Early Inhaled Nitric Oxide for Respiratory Failure in Newborns Phase 3
Completed NCT00005497 - Risk Factors for Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn N/A